Swansea City star Sigurdsson creates history on the international scene

Swansea City playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson created history on Saturday as he became the first Icelandic player to score six times in a European Championship Qualifying campaign.

The former Tottenham Hotspur star has made a living in the Premier League by netting goals from deep, acquiring some quite astonishing records already in his young career.

A 17-goal haul at Reading prompted a move to Hoffenheim, and despite a rather disappointing stint at Spurs, the 26-year-old has since bounced back in South Wales with Swansea.

But his most impressive feat is now doing it on the international stage, above all the most difficult when considering Iceland is hardly a footballing hotbed and boasts a population smaller than Bristol.

Amazingly, the Icelanders have navigated themselves through a group containing Czech Republic, Turkey and World Cup bronze medallists Holland to quality for the Euro 2016 finals in France.

And to top it off, Sigurdsson’s first-half strike in the 2-2 home draw with Latvia broke Eidur Gudjohnsen’s previous Icelandic international record of five goals set during the 2004 qualifying stages.

Tom Thorogood

I'm a 27 year old language teacher and writer based out in Mexico with a passion for football and swimming. I like to focus on the top European Leagues, especially La Liga, as well as the footballing development in Central and South America. My favourite teams include Derby County, Barcelona and Jagaures de Chiapas.